There have been a number of prior art devices which provide a means for withdrawing pipe and a pump from a well casing. Examples of such devices are the patents to Dawes 2,820,607 Rainwater 2,297,164, Lyons 4,585,061 and Green et al 1,011,614. These devices provide cranes, motors and other expensive heavy equipment to perform the function of pulling pipe from a well casing. However, not one of these devices is readily portable so that it can be placed in operation by one person without the use of heavy machinery, motors and the like. There is in the prior art a portable well pipe puller shown in patent 3,871,618 to Funk. However, even this patent requires an electric motor for driving the wheels which engage the pipe to be withdrawn from the casing.
According to the present invention there is provided a pump puller which can be readily installed for operation by one person and does not require motors or the like to withdraw the pipe and pump from the casing. A collar is provided with clamping means so that the collar can be clamped on the outer surface of the well casing and a pair of arms are attached to the collar which extend outwardly and upwardly from the collar. A large diameter wheel is mounted on the upper end of the arms and the periphery of the wheel provides a generally V-shaped guideway so that when the pipe is passed around the wheel the wheel will releasably engage the pipe within the V-shaped guideway. A latching mechanism is provided on the wheel so that the pipe may be pulled as the wheel is rotated but upon release of the pipe by the person pulling the pipe from the well the engagement of the pipe with the wheel and the latching mechanism prevents the pipe from returning to the well casing. A plurality of rollers is provided on the upper surface of the collar with the rollers being disposed on horizontal axes and in a generally U-shaped configuration. This structure prevents the pipe from coming into engagement with the well casing as the pipe is being withdrawn from the well.
An object of the present invention is to provide a pump puller which is portable and which may be readily installed and the pipe and pump removed from the well by a single operator.
Another object of the present is to provide a pump puller having a collar which engages the well casing and which is provided with pair of arms which extend upwardly and outwardly having a wheel mounted on the upper ends of the arms and means on the wheel for releasably retaining pipe pulled from the well casing.
Other objects and many attendant advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed specification in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: